Theater program brings energetic seniors together; this year’s show pays tribute to Broadway music

One hot Tuesday afternoon two weeks ago, in a warehouselike rehearsal space in El Cajon, Paul Russell couldn’t help but marvel at the passion and energy of the cast of “Senior Follies: Broadway Babies.”

“These people will work twice as hard and put in twice as many hours because they really do love it,” Russell said of the 85 seniors who make up the cast of “Senior Follies,” which this year celebrates Broadway music and history.

Now in its sixth year, “Senior Follies” is a production of the Christian Community Theater, an arm of the nonprofit theater program Christian Youth Theater, which was born in 1980 in Paul and Sheryl Russell’s garage. Today, CYT is San Diego’s largest community theater company and has established strong footholds in 25 cities nationwide.

“(Being in ‘Senior Follies’) is not just an occupation. It’s not just another job. So they’re willing to put in the extra hours that it takes,” said Russell, who, along with a musical director and choreographer, oversees the production. “Their energy, their enthusiasm, their passion for life, their love for music and dance and other people is amazing.”

“Senior Follies” was launched by Russell in 2007 after seeing similar productions in Palm Springs and Anderson, S.C.

“We went up to see the show in Palm Springs and we said, ‘Wow, this is great.’ And then I went back to one of our programs in Anderson, S.C., and I saw a production and walked in and the room was packed. I said, ‘What is this?’ Everybody was a senior. … What? That got my attention. They sell out in four days. People buy their tickets early because they don’t want to miss seeing Grandma and Grandpa in the show.

“And so I brought that back to San Diego,” Russell said. “In the first year, we had 7,000 people see it. The next year, 8,000 people.”

The show — running Thursday through Sunday — first kicked off at the East County Performing Arts Center, but since that venue has closed the production has moved to the Lincoln Performing Arts Center in southeastern San Diego.

This year, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation’s Our Aging Society Program, the theater will be able to provide 300 low-income seniors with free tickets to the show, including transportation.

Sense of community

For many cast members — all between the ages of 55 and 98 — “Senior Follies” is an outlet, while for others it’s a dream come true.

Michele McDougal, 69, took beginning tap dance classes at 46, “and I’ve loved it since I put my shoes on for the first time.

“I went back to school at 44 to finish my bachelor’s degree. I worked full time and I went to school full time. … I realized all I had done for two years was study and work, and I had really isolated myself from my friends and I wanted to do something that was good for my soul. And I had to think for a long time to think back when I was kid and (asked myself), ‘What did I want to do that I never did?’